


we try to do the best we can.

by puddings (kisa_kun)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Autistic James Sirius Potter, Coming Out, Family, Friendship, Gay Albus Severus Potter, Harry Potter is a Good Parent, Lesbian Lily Luna Potter, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Nonbinary James Sirius Potter, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teen issues, and their tight knit bond, basically a story about the potter siblings and their years at school, but im tagging it bc its planned, idk how else to tag this, ok so the albus/scorpius doesnt come in until later, probably wont be told in a linear fashion so watch out for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisa_kun/pseuds/puddings
Summary: What if Harry had made it his quest to be the best father he could possibly be? What if James Sirius Potter was a Hufflepuff? What if Albus Severus wasn't so moody? What if Lily Luna was a raging lesbian? All these questions answered here, and more.Essentially: Stories from an alternate universe of the next generation, wherein many things are different, and there's just a lot more diversity and love. Yeah.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Kudos: 18





	we try to do the best we can.

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i actually kind of enjoyed the Cursed Child so if u like it this isnt to bash on it, dw. but there were also issues i had with it and stuff, and also in the years between its publication and the final book i spent a lot of time headcanoning next gen. so this is kind of a collection of fics based on my headcanons for them and what i thought of them before content was being produced. yeeeee. anyways- have fun reading and pls like cmmt subscribe etc etc etc. toodles

The air was crisp with autumn, a slight chill to it. It brushed past them, chilling them to the bone for a moment, before warmth quickly returned, thanks to the coats and sweaters that covered their forms. The sound of chatter and movement hung in the air, the city brought to life on the first day of fall, the train station no different in that people milled about, each determined to get where they needed to go. 

The Potter-Weasley family was no different, rushing ahead with Ginny Potter-Weasley leading the group, marching with intent in her eyes. Harry Potter-Weasley moved at the back of the group, their three children mushed between them, Albus holding Lily's hand and James walking with his a hand shoved into his pocket, the other dragged his trunk. Harry- who occassionally glanced up to make sure he was still headed in the right direction and with the group,- held a newspaper in his hands that he was skimming, and a list was neatly tucked inbetween the pages so he could look it over as they walked, along with the articles of the paper. 

"James got his stuff?" Ginny asked, and Harry replied with a prompt "Yes, dear." 

"Everything on the list is in there?" 

"Yes, dear," he said, swiftly, still scanning the articles and once-overing the list to ensure he wasn't telling a bold faced lie. 

"He's got money in his pockets for snacks on the train?" 

Harry looked to James for that one, who rolled his eyes slightly and nodded. There was a pause, and Ginny stopped. He sighed heavily. 

"Yes, mum," he said. "Yes, dear," Harry agreed. Ginny nodded, then kept on. 

Soon, they had crossed the threshold, aka the barrier, from the muggle world to the wizarding world, and the crowd intensified. Albus' hand tightened around Lily's, and she gave a reassuring squeeze to her middle brother. She had always been the tougher one of the three. 

Ginny pulled the hairband from around her wrist and used it to tie her ginger hair up into a messy ponytail, and she turned to look at her children, but mostly at James. The only one going to Hogwarts at this point, at the ripe old age of eleven. Albus was nine, and little Lily was eight. They wouldn't be going to Hogwarts for a few more years, each with their own wait respectively. 

"You ready?" She asked, simply, and James paused. Was he ready? He bit his lip. To be honest, he appeared a lot more calm than he was. The whole thing was crazy. He was going to school for the first time proper. He'd been homeschooled up until now, taught the basics of things one would find in muggle school, and would of course need to survive the world. So the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of other kids in one big looming castle was intimidating. To be frank, he was downright nervous. 

His father sensed his nervousness, and knelt to his height, tucking the newspaper and list away. "Jamie," he said, the nickname affectionate and laced with the love of a father. "You'll be fine, alright?" James didn't look convinced, so Harry continued on. "Things won't be perfect, I won't lie to you. There will be ups. There will be downs. But remember what we say- you never know if you don't try, right?" 

James looked at him, biting down on his lip still, and finally spoke. "What if something bad happens?" He asked, voice quiet, only to be heard by his family, but mostly his father. "Well, what if something good happens?" Harry countered, and James paused. He made a fair point. It seemed this was all James needed for encouragement, and he offered his dad a small smile. Harry returned the smile with ease, softness in his eyes, and he reached out to pull the young boy into a tight hug. After a moment, they released, and Ginny moved forward to wrap James in a hug this time. Albus and Lily quickly joined in, and James laughed a little at their eagerness. 

After their goodbyes, James situated himself in the train, looking out his window at them. The nerves were not gone, but they were lessened. He knew that even if his family was far from him in distance, they'd never be far from him in heart. The rest of the Potter-Weasleys stood on the platform, Albus sniffling a tiny bit and Lily patting his shoulder in comfort. Harry and Ginny were linked by the arms, and they smiled at him with both reassurance and pride as the train began to pull out and away from the station. 

  
James kept his eyes on them even as they disappeared with distance, and then stared at where they'd been in his vision for some time after. 

He could do this. 

* * *

He couldn't do this. 

He stood in the Great Hall, shifting back and forth from foot to foot, filled to the absolute brim with anxiety. It pooled in his stomach like hot magma, leaking into his pours like lava from the top of a volcano. He felt uncomfortable and uneasy and he really, truly, couldn't do this. He was expected to go up in front of the entire hall, sit on that stool, and get sorted all while keeping his cool? No, no way, wasn't happening, no sir. 

But he had to. And that was just downright unfair, really. Why did he have to do this again? Oh yeah, tradition. Traditions seemed to rule the wizarding world, and he wasn't quite fond of them in the first place. There were some traditions he did like of course- like the tradition of his grandma, Molly, sewing every single one of him and his relatives sweaters with their first initial on it at Christmas,- but then there were traditions such as this that he just felt utter detest towards. 

He almost didn't notice when his name was called, and all the eyes in the hall fixated on him. He felt his heart clench, tighten, and nearly burst, and a singular bead of sweat rolled down his face. He hoped he didn't look as panicked as he felt, but he was almost certain that he did. Whispers broke out among the students- "Potter?" Everybody knew his dad, and by virtue, him. It made for an all new type of pressure to the situation, and he resisted the urge to turn and kick the wall. With shaky hands and feet, he moved forward towards the stool, focusing in on calming himself and simply going one step at a time. Soon, he reached the stool, and he sat down on it heavily. Without any further ado, the sorting hat was plopped down upon his head.

He startled at the feeling of another presence within his mind, and a subconscious burst of panic was sent it's way.

"Calm, now, little one," the voice said. Ah, the hat, yes. He reminded himself that this was utterly normal, and he shouldn't be scared. But he was. 

He could feel it as the hat began to search his mind, trying to figure out how to sort the young one. "A hardworking one, aren't you?" The hat said, and James' hands clenched into fists, nails digging into tanned, freckled skin. This was just creepy. "And oh so determined. Accepting, understanding," it praised. "A good elder sibling to the younger ones in your home, as well, and even to your relatives.."

There was a pause, then, as though the hat expected James to say something back. And so he did. "Please hurry it up.. I can feel everybody staring.." He whispered. 

"Loyal. Extremely loyal. To a fault, even," the hat said, humming. "There's only one place for you. It will be.." 

"HUFFLEPUFF!" 

The hat called, and whispers broke out again. A Potter and a Weasley who wasn't in Gryffindor?

"Well, at least it isn't Slytherin," he heard an older girl say to another, and he almost sent a glare their way. Almost. There was nothing wrong with Slytherins. Nothing at all- many good people had come from Slytherin, just as many bad people had come from Gryffindor, and this house rivalry was absolute rubbish. Healthy rivalry was alright, but taken to the point of some people in the british wizarding world? No, it wasn't okay at all. He felt a little more confident with annoyance bubbling inside of him, and as the hat was yanked off his head, he made his way to the yellow table, robes and tie magically changing their hue to match. 

Perhaps he could do this. Maybe. 

Only time would tell. 


End file.
